Gov. Christie says partisanship has no place after disasters

6:57 PM,
Jun. 22, 2013

Gov. Chris Christie.

Written by

Malia Rulon Herman, Gannett Washington Bureau

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday continued defending his decision to welcome President Barack Obama to his state to tour damage from Hurricane Sandy - days before last year's presidential election.

Elected officials who engage partisanship after disasters "just don't understand why they were put in office in the first place," Christie, a Republican, told people attending a national Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington.

Christie was a top surrogate for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and was criticized by other Republicans for praising the president's ...